This watchdog blog, by journalist Norman Oder, offers analysis, commentary, and reportage about the $4.9 billion project to build the Barclays Center arena and 16 high-rise buildings at a crucial site in Brooklyn. Dubbed Atlantic Yards by developer Forest City Ratner in 2003, it was rebranded Pacific Park in 2014 after the Chinese government-owned Greenland Group bought a 70% stake in 15 towers. New York State still calls it Atlantic Yards. Contact: AtlanticYardsReport[at]hotmail.com

What exactly does BEE do? You couldn't tell at the table. There were raffle tickets and gift bags, information about a law internship for teens at a community court in Brownsville, bags of potato chips, and handouts for a BEE-branded credit card that shares fees to support the organization.

I picked up the paper handouts, took a look, and, as I was about to leave the table, was offered a parting gift by the cordial volunteer: a Brooklyn Nets keychain (also on sale on Ebay for $5, as shown below).

The message seemed to be: BEE is connected to the Nets. Which it is, in a sense, as the organization has almost exclusively received financial support from Forest City Ratner.

BEE was a sponsor of the event, as was Forest City Ratner (and Target and a few others), as indicated above.

What BEE hasn't done

BEE, which acquired the broadly meaningless name after first being known as the (limited to one building) First Atlantic Terminal Housing Committee, has never (publicly, at least) fulfilled its CBA obligations.

It was supposed to form a working group for "community input" regarding environmental issues on the project.

I've previous described BEE's role as a the Potemkin responsibility, because the CBA says, regarding environmental mitigation, that "the Developer shall be in compliance with this Agreement by following the state mandated process."

Meanwhile, BEE's web site, as shown below, still leads off with a May 2010 clip of President Barack Obama, on energy policy. The latest Atlantic Yards Update on the web site covers the weeks June 21, 2010 through July 4, 2010.